Strength of the Pack
by necryptonix
Summary: "Heaven ain't close in a place like this. That's a line from an old pre-Collapse song, you know. Makes you wonder if they had known this would happen, a thousand years down the road. A billion people brought to their knees - they become the thousands, and when the thousand's need a savior, it comes down to 6 tired, dirty, wounded guardians in a Hive fortress. Heaven ain't close."
1. 00 - File

**NAME:** Necryptonix, Nix

 **BIRTHDATE:** 03/27

 **SPECIES:** Awoken

 **GENDER:** Female

 **CLASS:** Hunter

 **HEIGHT:** 5' 9"

 **WEIGHT:** 123 lbs.

 **MENTAL STABILITY:** Unknown

 **EMOTIONAL STABILITY:** Unknown

 **PHYSICAL STABILITY:** High

 **FACTION ALLEGIANCE:** Dead Orbit, New Monarchy

 **LIGHT LEVEL:** High

 **FREQUENTED:** Venus, Moon, Cosmodrome, Crucible*

 **HOBBIES:** History, Books, Mapmaking

 **LAST KNOWN LOCATION:** Venus, Ishtar Collective Archives

*Outdated, hasn't been seen in the Crucible for 3 months

 **LETTER TO THE SPEAKER, FROM CAYDE-6**

"We lost contact with Nix at 1200 hours, 5 days ago. We're putting messages out to her ghost, but nothing yet. Zavala has evidence of an influx of Vex activity in the area – he requests we list her as MIA.

The loss of Nix would be a heavy blow to the Vanguard. She's a quick hand, and a good friend. But I don't think we'll be hearing from her any time soon…I just hope she found what she was looking for."

 **/END LETTER**

 **CONVERSATION RECORDED BETWEEN CAYDE-6 AND BANSHEE-44**

 **B** : "Zavala tells me he believes her dead…you believe it?"

 **C** : "No. Nix cleared the archives alone, months ago. She could do it again. No Vex or Fallen ambush would have gotten the better of her out there - girl's handy with a scout rifle."

 **B** : "Nothing from her Ghost?"

 **C** : "No."

 **B** : "What do you think, Cayde?"

 **C** : "My guess? She doesn't want to be found. After what happened with Fireteam Ra, I wouldn't be surprised if she took a good long...vacation."

 **B** : "And yet something tells me she didn't go out looking for a good time."

 **C** : (laughter) "On the contrary, I think a good time is _exactly_ what she's looking for. Don't tell me you miss her, Banshee?"

 **B** : "I miss her business."

 **/END RECORDING**

 **/END**


	2. 02 - Journals

**Journal Entry 01**

A month since I've seen the tower. I can still picture it, though. And all those guardians, milling around. I never learned most of their names. Didn't have the time to. Or the desire.

It's safer out here, for me and for them. There's too many bad memories over there, dirty memories. I don't think -…I refuse to be that guardian who goes down in the record books as the one who snapped and massacred half the citizens of the last city. I know the story around Red Death, about the crazy rogue guardian who killed so many. I will never become that.

But I understand why he did it. It's one thing to sit in the tower, do things around the Cosmodrome, in the light, and preach about saving the city and its people. It's another thing to face the Darkness where it breeds, stare into the void, step into the abyss, splatter yourself in the blood of your comrades, and know that there is no saving anyone. Not even yourself. Oh yes, I know why he did it.

My ghost worries about me. I think he's afraid I'll kill myself. I told him he's not allowed to read these entries, but I'm willing to bet he'll do it anyway. Can't keep his virtual hands off anything.

I'm not out here for revenge. I'm out here to rebuild. Therapy, staying in the tower, that would have destroyed me. This is my therapy. I need to be alone for a while. I need to do my job alone, for a while. "You've probably heard all the stories about the wolf by now – none of them are true. You are the wolf." That's what Cayde told me, when I got my Six Coyotes cloak after bringing in those refugees.

I may be alone out here, ghost, but I am the wolf. And the Darkness will fear me before I am done.

 **Journal Entry 23**

Six months, since I've seen the tower in person. I wonder how the Vanguard is doing. I wonder if the city still stands. I wonder if they looked for me when I vanished. I wonder if they think I'm dead.

My ghost has done a good job of dodging all the searching signals and messages they had bombarded us with at first, but we haven't gotten one of those in over a month now. I hope they've given up. But never fear, Vanguard, even way out here I do my duty to the light.

I saw a Hive cruiser two days ago; I stalked it for hours, had ghost intercept as many comms as he could. I learned where it was headed. My ship is faster, less clunky then the less sophisticated Hive cruiser. I made it to the planet surface first, a strange place with heavier gravity. I decided to call it Atlas.

When the Hive landed, I shot them down, one by one, with my sniper. And when that was out of ammo, I used my scout Rifle. The Jade Rabbit had been my faithful companion for years, it didn't fail me in this strange place. The Hive scattered. I hunted them down. They never had a chance.

I think the Hive were looking for something here, a religious relic of some sort. I've decided to look for it myself. That'll give me an excuse to make a good map of the place. And then, when I find the thing, I'll make sure to destroy it and broadcast my handiwork to every Hive ship in the system.

When they come looking for me, on this strange planet, all they'll find waiting for them is a bomb.

 **Journal Entry 113**

Two year anniversary, now. Maybe I'll pay the tower a visit. Then again, maybe not.

The cockpit is getting crowded, filled with maps and various relics and curios to give to the cryptarchs, whenever I see them again. They'll appreciate it.

Not much to write. I don't even know why I keep this journal anymore.

 **Journal Entry 124**

Heading back to the tower now. I saw…The Hive are coming. Worse than they have in years. They must be warned, or the city will fall.

Crota's stench, his soul, pure Darkness, it oozes through space as the ship approaches. The ship is slow, wizards and acolytes constantly singing hymns within. I got as close as I could without alerting them to my presence. My ghost confirmed Crota's essence.

The Hive Prince, he who routed the moon and pushed the Vanguard back to Earth, he's coming back. The city will not survive it this time. Not if someone doesn't warn them. I have to go back. Ghost says we'll be there in three days time. May the dead god speed us.


	3. 03 - A Soft Landing

"Guardian ship N-2703 requesting permission to dock." Nix's Ghost was handling things with the tower while Nix took an extra minute to collect herself. She had been away from other people, true civilization, for a long time – she wanted to make sure her boots were still on the right feet.

Ghost hovered by Nix's head, spinning and examining her anxiously as they waited for a reply from the tower. Docking permissions didn't usually take this long, but considering they had both been away for over two years the bots at the tower were probably running multiple checks to make sure they had their information right. Nix didn't mind the extra time. Racked with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation, she needed a moment to compose herself into a more aloof figure. She almost changed into less conspicuous armor, but decided against it. She had gotten rather attached to the whole ensemble. She had become dependent on the cold metal. But with any luck, the majority of the guardians at the tower wouldn't recognize her anyway.

"What are you going to tell the Speaker?" Ghost hovered closer, almost sitting on Nix's shoulder as they both stared out the cockpit's windows at Earth – at home.

"I'll tell him what we saw. You can transfer the data to him when we get there." Nix held her hands together, clasped in her lap, the only outward sign of unease.

"And…after that?" Ghost turned his eye to his guardian, curious and half-hopeful. Nix took a deep breath and readjusted herself.

"Well…I don't know, Ghost. I don't know." Behind her helmet, Nix chewed her lip and wondered at her own motivations. Could she have just sent the information ahead via Ghost without ever stepping foot in the tower? Yes. But that would have risked interception by Hive comms, which would have prompted them to move Crota's soul even faster. At least, that's what she told herself. When Nix was certain of Crota's return, she had immediately jumped for heading to the tower. She wanted to tell the Speaker in person…she wanted to go home. But now that she was here, she wasn't so sure this was the best idea.

"Ship N-2703, please standby." A bot voice crackled over the comms, while another voice spoke rapidly in the background. It sounded organic. Probably a human or awoken double-checking the bot's records, Nix thought. She put her ship into geo-lock, keeping it moving in time with Earth's rotation so that she stayed above the tower.

Ghost had offered to send a message ahead to the Speaker to announce their pending arrival, but Nix had told him not to. She had spoken to the Speaker often, back in her tower days. Nix knew that if the Speaker heard they were coming he would tell the Vanguard, who would then probably take away her ship and detain her in the tower for an unnamed amount of time, like they did to Cayde-6. That would be the end of her patrolling, her mapmaking, the exploring…No, sending a warning ahead would have been a bad idea. Maybe this way they'll be surprised enough that they won't have time to organize a detainment force.

"Ship N-2703, please confirm identity." This was the voice of the organic Nix had heard earlier. It sounded surprised, almost angry.

"I am Necryptonix, Awoken Hunter, Ship ID N-2703, formerly of Fireteam Ra." The words left a metallic taste in her mouth. She hoped they would be enough.

"Please have your ghost send additional records." The voice definitely sounded sharper than before, louder. Nix looked to her Ghost, who immediately brightened and spun while he transferred more ID confirmations to the tower's flight control. When he finished he floated closer to the cockpit windows, as though to look down on the flight control station. Nix waited.

"Ship N-2703, docking permission granted but limited. There will be armed guardians to meet you. Do you consent?"

Nix's eyes widened slightly. Was her file truly so bad now that her arrival warranted armed _guardians_ , rather than simple bot guards? She looked at her Ghost, who stared back, seemingly just as surprised.

"Ship N-2703, do you consent?" The voice sounded even more urgent than before.

"This is ship N-2703. Yes, we consent. I repeat, we consent." Nix answered slowly and clearly, not wanting the situation to escalate due to an accidental slur in her words.

"Docking information transferred to your Ghost. Bring it in." The comms shut off with a snap.

The docking process was simple; the ship did it almost on auto-pilot as Ghost fed it the correct dock number and traffic information. Their dock was in a lesser-used section of the tower, where there would be fewer bystanders if there ended up being a problem. These docks were generally used for guardians bringing in suspicious objects that the cryptarchs needed to pick-up and transport for safety reasons. Being sent to this dock, knowing there would be armed guardians waiting for her, set off Nix's survival instincts. She fought the urge to turn the ship around and leave again. Ghost noted her increased heart rate but said nothing, choosing instead to hover close to her shoulder.

"This is ridiculous, grow up!" Nix snarled to herself. These are fellow guardians, not a firing squad. She knew they wouldn't hurt her as long as she didn't give them a reason to. But if something went wrong...what if there was a new Speaker? A new Vanguard? What if there were orders to kill her? She would be outnumbered, and escaping into her ship would be rough since they would probably have the transmat system disabled after she docked…her instincts screamed at her that this was a trap. Nix pushed them away.

Her ship entered the dock and began clamping onto the tower. Out of her cockpit windows she could see two titans and a warlock, and armed they were. Nix unfastened her harness and stood up, stretching her arms and shoulders slightly, rolling her ankles one at a time. She took a step forward, and reappeared on the floor of the tower's docking bay, Ghost having used the transmat to move them out. Nix stood before the warlock, and waited. The warlock moved a step closer.

"Necryptonix, Awoken Hunter, former leader of Fireteam Ra." It wasn't a question. This was the voice Nix had spoken to over the flight control comms. The warlock looked her up and down. Nix continued her silence.

"What, no introduction for the faithful Ghost?" Nix's Ghost spun slightly, seeming to try and lighten the atmosphere. It didn't work.

"The law states that we have to detain any guardian who has gone without tower communications or contact for 6 or more months. You've been missing for over 2 years. Do you understand?" The warlock spoke firmly as the titans shifted their weight slightly, ready.

"I need to see the Speaker. I will not be detained until then." Nix remained motionless as her Ghost fluttered behind her shoulder, casting his eye back and forth between her and the other guardians.

"You cannot see the Speaker until we are assured you do not pose a threat to the city."

"And how would you ascertain that?"

"Through a rigorous questioning and testing process, among other things."

"And how long would that take?" Nix was glad she had kept her helmet on. She figured the sneer on her face wouldn't look like too friendly.

"In your case, two months, one for each year you were gone. If at the end of that period you are deemed stable in body and mind, you can request an audience with the Speaker."

Nix gaped in horror. Two months was too long…way too long. Crota would have arrived and begun his dark work by then. She couldn't wait that long. None of them could.

"I can't wait that long. I will not be detained until I see the Speaker."

For a moment no one spoke or moved. Then, as though they had rehearsed it, the other guardians readied their pulse rifles. Nix's Ghost vanished into her armor, as was his habit when things got sketchy. Nix idly placed a hand on the handcannon at her hip, but did not draw it. She knew to do so would be seen as a threat, and she had no desire for an all-out firefight.

"We are not giving you a choice, hunter."

"Maybe we should- ", Ghost began, but Nix cut him off.

"You're right, I don't have one. I will see the Speaker, whether it be by your leave, or by my leaving you on the floor as I walk away."

"Remove you weapons hunter, and come quietly. Don't be a fool." The warlock practically growled the last words.

"If it is foolish to do what's right by the city, by the tower, then I am the most divine fool of all. Let me do my job. Move." A piece of Nix's brain, somewhere in the back, realized how her social skills had deteriorated in the last 2 years. She had forgotten what it was like to be told no, and then be expected to listen.

"You have 10 seconds to drop your weapons and surrender, Hunter. Think it over." No one counted the time out loud, but they all knew it. There was just silence, the calm before the storm.

When the count ticked down to two, Nix snatched her handcannon from its holster and used blink to teleport to the side of the small group of guardians. She raised her weapon, body tensed, cloak billowing out behind her from the force of her movement. The warlock and titans whirled to find her, fingers on the triggers of their weapons. But even though Nix had the upper-hand, she found herself unable to pull the trigger. She suddenly dropped to a crouch and rolled, forcing the other guardians to spin again to track her.

One of the titans used a shoulder charge, catching Nix off balance. She used the force of the impact to roll backwards, slightly stunned. The warlock readied a vortex grenade in one hand, as the other titan aimed his rifle. No choice then, Nix realized. She would have to fight.

When Nix came out of her backwards roll she had a throwing knife ready. She threw it at the warlock, hoping to disrupt the grenade. The knife hit the warlock's arm, just above the wrist, and the warlock jumped back with a yell and dropped the vortex grenade. The knife had been imbued with solar energy; it began to burn its way up the warlock's body.

With her other hand, Nix aimed her handcannon at the titan with his gun ready and jumped into the air, avoiding another melee from the second titan with her thrusters. She fired off two rounds into the first titan, both hitting him in the chest hard enough to make him stumble backwards and lose his aim. As Nix began to lose air, she threw a swarm grenade at the second titan which sent him reeling backwards to avoid the split seekers.

The whole sequence had taken no more than 6 seconds, but Nix had managed to scatter them enough for her to reach a soft landing. She hit the ground lightly, crouched slightly, gun ready and hand on another knife. She heard one of the opposing guardians calling for backup before a sharp voice cut the air.

"Enough! Stop! Guardians, Stop!" The first titan froze in mid-grenade throw, while the second titan went still inside the bubble he had conjured to guard from the swarm grenade. The warlock lowered a gun, still favoring one arm. Nix stayed crouched, head raised and slightly cocked, listening.

"You three, head back to your stations." The Speaker strode forward, moving with purpose, his white robes flowing around him. The warlock and titans began to protest, but with a single raise of the Speaker's hand they went silent and began to move off. They knew better than to argue with him. The Speaker waited until the other three had left, before continuing.

"Nix…Come with me." Nix straightened slowly, replacing her handcannon in its holster and turning her head to look at the Speaker. He hadn't changed a bit in 2 years, she noted. The same robes, the same mask, with all the same patterns. Must be a station-related thing.

The Speaker turned and walked away, back towards his balcony on the tower's North side. Nix followed, relief flooding over her.

"Speaker, how did you know I was here?"

"I'm notified every time an MIA or KIA Ghost is reconnected to the network." He didn't slow his pace. Nix decided she wasn't surprised. It was the Speaker who examined revived Ghosts when they're returned to the tower, after all.

Nix's Ghost reappeared next to her.

"Some welcome home, huh?" Ghost moved slightly ahead of her, examining everything they passed. Nix snorted. She kept her head down when they passed the stairs to the Vanguard's chambers. She didn't want to see anyone who might recognize her. Some of the other guardians stared at her, but whether that was because they had seen the other three walk out damaged, or because she walked with the Speaker, Nix couldn't tell.

The Speaker, Nix, and Ghost reached the balcony and quietly arranged themselves. It was as it had been before, with the Speaker standing in front of his desk, as Nix leaned against the book shelf across from him, both with their arms crossed. Ghost floated back and forth around the balcony, examining ghost shells and papers on the Speaker's desk. The Speaker didn't bat him away.

"So…what brought you back?" The Speaker spoke slowly, like he was thinking before every syllable. Nix paused, choosing her next words carefully.

"The city must be warned", Nix lifted her head, fingers clenching her arms, "Crota's return is on the horizon."


	4. 04 - Spades

Nix sat on the steps of the Speaker's balcony, hooded, brooding. The Speaker didn't let her have her way. He did, however, get her out of the mental and physical exams the tower guards were just aching to do. So she wasn't completely angry with him.

Ghost floated above Nix's lap, watching the guardians passing below, back and forth between the New Monarchy rep and the other venders in North tower.

"There are more guardians now than before, don't you think?" Ghost swiveled to look at Nix, spinning his shell thoughtfully. Nix nodded slightly, chin resting on her clasped hands. She could almost _feel_ Ghost sighing at her lack of responsiveness.

"Well I'm excited. We haven't had friends in a long time; this will be a good chance to make some new ones." Ghost didn't add his hope that new friends would incline his guardian to stay near the tower again. He missed the tower, people, variety, fun.

"We aren't doing this to make friends, Ghost. It's a means to an end. A job. A raid. I don't exactly plan on talking about my favorite color while knifing an acolyte in the face." Nix's words dripped with venom. She had asked, begged even, that the Speaker let her handle it alone or at least leave her out of it entirely, but he refused. Nix had never been fond of working in groups, even with Fireteam Ra, but now she loathed it. It was easier to police only herself rather than herself plus five. Alone, the only responsibility she had was to herself and Ghost. So much simpler.

"Putting your life in other people's hands does require a certain amount of familiarity though. Steel yourself, guardian." He spoke the last with as much sarcasm as he could manufacture. He hadn't known sarcasm until he found Nix. She used it constantly, scathingly, a master of insulting people without them realizing it until later. And for some reason, the people she insulted laughed with her. The queen of sarcasm. Ghost had been learning to use it ever since. It seemed to amuse her.

Nix stood suddenly and readjusted her cloak. She stretched a little and then headed down the stairs, Ghost following close behind.

"Where are we going?" Ghost sounded almost anxious, worried his guardian would try to leave the tower again.

"To Cayde. He's still the head of the hunter vanguards. I need to talk to him." Word had travelled fast in the tower. The Speaker told Nix that he had informed the vanguard of her return, so Cayde already knew she was here. He would be expecting her, but she wasn't coming around just to catch up.

Nix had tried his room first, hoping she could catch him alone, but to no avail. He was working, as always. Advising the lost, encouraging the reckless, and jealous as hell of every single hunter that walked into the Hall of Guardians. Nix couldn't help but smile at the memory of the murmured "take me with you"s, and "not like I'm jealous or anything" every time she left the hall.

Nix had waited until a group of guardians walked into the hall to pass Lord Shaxx. He was another old mentor, from her competitive crucible days. He too had probably heard of her return. He had had nothing but the utmost belief in her, and she had proved herself every match. She had been worthy of respect, and she got it from everyone. She didn't want to see him now. So she hid in the crowd and walked past with her head down. She heard him call out to another guardian, teasing the losers and winners alike. Her mouth twitched into another smile. Some things never change.

Nix paused, just for a moment, before passing into the Vanguard's place in the back of the hall. It didn't look any different from when she left. Zavala writing communiques, Ikora with her books open, and Cayde pouring over a map…one that Nix had made years ago of the Rubicon Wastes on Mars. Her gut wrenched. She moved forward anyway, not looking at anyone, hidden behind her helmet. She focused on her old handiwork and moved until she stood next to the table.

Nix leaned over her map, examining every line of ink, every sloppy notation, the legend, longitude and latitude lines, and suddenly she could see herself four years in the past.

 _Dirt in my boots, my gloves, but not my eyes. I sit in the dirt, hidden by rock outcroppings from the roaming cabal patrols. I sketch the outline of a cabal base feverishly, trying to get it done before being forced to move on, for fear of discovery. Notation down, written too fast, barely legible. But I took joy in it, the crazy risks of scouting. Hear the heavy footfalls, have to move. The others will be near the rendezvous now._

Nix hadn't realized she was reaching out to trace a line on the map, until she was reprimanded.

"Hey, guardian, don't touch, it's antique." A hand slapped hers away. She looked up, saw Cayde still studying the map.

"Four years old is hardly antique. Probably outdated though. Honestly, you should commission a new one. This is almost criminal negligence, sending guardians out into enemy territory on the information of a map that's four years old." Nix leaned her back against the table and crossed her arms. Cayde looked up.

"I would have, but the girl who did this one decided to take an extended vacation. So, Nix, how was the beach?" Cayde stood up straight, arms hanging loosely by his side.

"Terrible. The weather was shit, the air was nonexistent, I got a sunburn, and the water was diluted with the blood of dreg and acolytes."

"I didn't know Awoken could tan."

"We can't. Hence the sunburn." Nix uncrossed her arms, and Cayde crossed his. Cayde grinned, as much as an Exo can.

Nix could feel the eyes of Zavala on her. She had never gotten along with the titan vanguard. They had too many differences of opinion. She had always been okay with Ikora, though. A love of knowledge made them easy friends. She wondered if they were mad she wasn't in forced detainment.

"What's with the heavy armor, anyway? Expecting a firefight?" Cayde's voice was joking. Amused. Nix realized he must not know about the detainment group then. She looked over to Zavala, wondering if that had been by his order. He went back to his communiques.

"A good hunter is always prepared for a fight, even in the tower." Nix decided he didn't need to know. He'd probably hear about it later anyway.

"Being out in the field for so long make you a bit jumpy, Necryptonix?"

"No. Just cautious. I've survived this long; I won't be killed now by a silly misfire out of a new warlock who's never seen a gun before." Cayde chuckled.

"Are you back for good then, hunter?" Ikora spoke now, one hand holding a book, the other on her hip as she looked Nix up and down.

"Is any guardian back for good, really? There's a lot of work to be done – a lot of _dangerous_ work to be done." Nix avoided the question.

"So you just came to chat up the vanguard and distract us from our work?" Ikora had a point.

"No, actually. I need a favor." Nix resisted the urge to add "but not from you" when Zavala looked up at her again.

"Wow, Nix asking for a favor, someone get this marked on their calendar!" Cayde called out. Nix rolled her eyes, though no one could see. Despite the joking, Cayde knew it was a serious matter if she had returned all the way to the tower for it. Ikora closed her book and leaned on the table, waiting.

"I need a list. The best guardians you guys know. Give me 21 on the list, 7 for each of you. I'll make the final decision myself." Nix spoke tersely, feeling a sudden rush of anxiety at her request. After what had happened with Fireteam Ra, here she was asking the vanguard mentors to hand her their best and brightest. She could imagine what they thought about that.

"You don't like working with others anymore. What do you need them for?" Ikora's face was sharp as she spoke. Nix took a deep breath in.

"Trust me, I'd be out of here right now if I could, no guardians attached, but…" Nix caught herself - removed the venom from her voice, "…but the Speaker has asked me to stay and head up a Fireteam of six total. We're going on a raid." Nix hadn't meant to snap at Ikora.

"I'll have to confirm that." Zavala spoke. He didn't trust her. Nix had to wonder what he thought she would want with some guardians if not for a raid. Then a flash in her mind, a report, the Red Death incident. Nix tasted metal, and hoped Zavala was smart enough to know she was not so cold as that.

"Go ahead, titan. Read it and weep." Nix waved her hand at him dismissively as Ghost relayed the Speaker's orders to Zavala's ghost. His mouth curled slightly as he read. A moment of silence.

"We'll have a list for you by tomorrow, hunter." Zavala's voice oozed with bitterness. Nix smirked.

"Thank you. I'll be around the tower if anyone needs me." Nix added the last part out of habit, and soon regretted saying it. But she left the hall and didn't look back, even though she could feel all of their eyes on her.

"You look at the stars like they might vanish if you don't stare hard enough." Nix jumped slightly, having been too lost in thought to hear the exo hunter's footsteps behind her.

"If I don't stare hard enough, they could be gone in a blink. And I'd miss them." Cayde watched his old friend, head cocked slightly. Nix had removed her helmet, finally, but her hood was up, eyes only visible because they glowed bright white beneath the shadow of the fabric.

Nix had hidden herself away in a little used open-air storage area at the top of the tower. She sat against the wall, leaning her side against the railing before the two thousand foot fall. The stars had been her companions in deep space. Silent, watchful, and not a judgmental atom in their fiery bodies. The sky was one thing Nix had never tried to map. She didn't believe in imposing order on such great forces of nature. Cayde stepped closer and sat down next to her, looking up at the stars, trying to see what she saw.

"What do you feel, staring up at the stars like this?" Cayde looked back to her, trying to understand. This wasn't the first time he had caught her examining the sky like it was some long lost friend. Nix took a breath, paused.

"I feel small. Very small." Nix didn't shift her upwards gaze.

"You say that like it's a good thing."

"Stars live for millions of years. They watch the rise and fall of countless civilizations. And when they reach the end, they destroy anyone too close to them. To them, we're just a blip in the time stream. Nothing we do is cosmically important. Nothing we do effects them in any way. They will go on, with or without us. And you can't tell me there isn't something comforting about that." Nix finally looked away, turned her head to Cayde. Her eyes, he noticed, look tired – old, even.

"Sounds like escapism to me. Sounds like the final plea of a criminal facing death row. 'I know I killed those people, but it doesn't matter because stars live longer than us!' I don't buy it. And you shouldn't either." Nix sneered and looked back at the sky. But she knew he was right. It _was_ a final plea. The only way she could escape the guilt, the sense of failure.

"Those civilians depended on your team to get them out of there. You did your job. All of you did. No one faulted you; you did the best you could. The civilians made it here, and you were a hero to them, Nix. Some of those kids started to idol worship you! It's a miracle anyone made it back at all. But Fireteam Ra got every single person out. Every single one. You should be proud. Of them and yourself."

"I _am_ proud of them. I couldn't _be_ more proud of them. I ordered them to their deaths, one by one, and they didn't hesitate, didn't even blink. They knew they would die if they did what I asked, but they did it anyway, with smiles on their faces. Ran into the horde like they loved the feeling of being torn apart -…." Nix sucked in a breath, hands clenched.

"Their deaths protected those who could not protect themselves. Fireteam Ra died with honor. You did the right thing, Nix. You know you did." Cayde tried to put a hand on her shoulder, but Nix slapped it away. She stood suddenly, began pacing back and forth.

"Whether I did the right thing or not, it doesn't mean I suddenly stop hearing their laughs, their last words; I don't stop feeling the horror of sending my friends down the hill knowing I would never see them again. They died because I told them to!"

"They died because it was them, or the lives of civilian families! It was their choice! They would have died whether or not you told them to, but they listened to you because you're smart, you're a good leader, and they knew you were doing the right thing! For god's sake Nix, let the dead rest already!" Cayde stood, gesturing angrily at her as she glared at him.

"That's pretty rich, when we live in a place just _crawling_ with living corpses."

"They prefer to be called guardians, if you don't mind."

"I am no leader Cayde. If being a leader means sending friends, people, to their ends, I don't want any part of it."

"Well it doesn't look like you've got much of a choice, now does it? I talked to the Speaker. This raid cannot fail, and you're the only one who has the experience to pull it off. So you're gonna pick some guardians off the list, you're gonna make nice with them, you're gonna teach them your ways, and then you're gonna go out there and kick some ass. Because that's what we're made to do. Got it? Good." Cayde glared at Nix. She stopped pacing, stood completely still. Her arms fell limp at her sides. Cayde had been her mentor in the past; it was hard to try and ignore his orders now.

"…And if it fails anyway?" Nix's voice was barely above a whisper.

"It won't. Raids like this require a few certain qualities: Talent, experience, and guts. And you've got all three in spades," Cayde paused, thinking, "I told you that you were the wolf, the ace of spades. You won't fail, Nix. But you gotta stop looking at the stars like this. It'll be the end of you." Cayde watched Nix for a few seconds more, then turned and slowly walked away.

Nix slowly sank back to the ground, her knees pulled up to her chest. She could feel the Ghost's presence thrumming softly in the back of her mind. But he knew better than to speak. Nix removed her gloves, rested her chin on her knees, and looked at her hands.


	5. 05 - Icebreakers

"Hunter! Where did all of this come from?" Nix plopped a box down onto the Cryptarch's table, closely followed by 4 more tower bots who stacked more on top. Nix thanked the bots before turning back around.

"Got them out in the field - some interesting stuff in there, " she nudged a box, "can't say I didn't look it all over myself first, but it's time to pass it on. Can't keep the good stuff to myself forever!" Nix grinned. Master Rahool paused, studying her, until realization hit and a smile creased his face.

"Nix? Necryptonix? Is that you? I heard a rumor that you were back, but I never thought…" He trailed off. Nix's grin sharpened as she realized he had assumed her dead. She couldn't decide if she liked that or not.

"Sorry Rahool, you can't get rid of me so easily." Nix had hung around the old Cryptarch a lot, trying to learn how the cryptarchs decrypted things. She had picked up a few things, but she wasn't anywhere near the level of the cryptarch order. When it came to anything above average, she still left it to them. Rahool poked through the boxes, gaping, muttering under his breath.

"Good, now that it's gotten your interest, get to work. I need some new gear." She waved and backed away a few steps, enjoying the look on his face a moment longer, before turning and heading toward the Hall of Guardians. The lists were ready.

Ghost downloaded the last list from Ikora's ghost before spinning back to Nix and floating over her shoulder.

"Quite the crop, if I'm reading their files correctly." Ghost commented.

"Hey, spoilers, wait until I've had a look." Nix reprimanded Ghost lightly.

"Just let us know once you've made your choices, Nix. we'll gather 'em up for you." Cayde sounded abnormally bright this morning. Nix wondered what mischief he was up to now.

"We already put a hold on their missions so that they don't travel too far out. They'll be here as soon as you give the word." Ikora gave Nix a nod and went back to examining a strange object exuding void energy.

"Thanks. I'll get back to you all tomorrow morning with the final names." Nix bowed herself out, Ghost close behind.

Nix didn't get far though. A heavy hand clapped down on her shoulder, her knees almost buckling under the unexpected weight. Nix's head whipped around to get a look at her assailant, only to come face to face with bright white chest armor. She shifted her gaze upwards and took a step back.

"Hey, what the hell –", she broke off as recognition hit. Her stomach dropped.

"Don't tell me you thought you could avoid me the whole time you were back, Hunter." Lord Shaxx towered over Nix, his bulky armor making him even more imposing.

"Avoiding is an awfully strong word, makes it sound a lot worse than it –"

"You still owe quite a few guardians a rematch in Rumble, and in Control. Lord Saladin has been missing you during the Iron Banner matches. When should I expect you back in the Crucible?" Shaxx's voice was firm. Nix grimaced. She had decided long ago that her Crucible days were over.

"Preferably never, Shaxx. I'm kind of busy, and I don't really know what's going to happen after this raid, and there's still a lot to do out in the field…" Lord Shaxx waved his hand dismissively at Nix.

"Excuses. Don't tell me you've lost your mettle, Nix? You, who used to make the enemy team tremble in their boots when they saw your name on the roster?"

"I wasn't that good, Shaxx. I was terrible at Salvage, and even worse in Clash. I was barely passable at Skirmish. Even in Control and Rumble I had my good days and bad days –"

"More good days than bad, if I remember the number of times the other ghosts had to revive their guardians." Ghost chimed in. Nix grimaced at him.

"You're not helping." Nix poked him away from her. She could almost hear Shaxx smirking from under his helmet.

"Well Nix, tell me when you're ready to re-assert your dominance in the arena. I'll be waiting." Shaxx walked out of the Hall, his ghost close by him. Probably going to act as announcer for another match.

Nix shook her head slowly, still frowning, before heading to her usual hiding place in the storage area of the tower.

"If we took this warlock to help out with the Hive puzzles, then we should take this titan to cover him." Nix shook her head at Ghost's suggestion.

"No. If the warlock can't handle himself in close-range, then he can't come with us. We can't spare a titan to guard another guardian. We need them in the front."

"This warlock is a skilled Sunsinger. He can self-ressurect." Nix nodded idly, still reading the file in her hands.

"You aren't going to take a single idea I give you, are you?" Ghost grumbled.

Nix didn't answer. She sat with her knees pulled up to her chest, the files placed in a semi-circle around her, easy to grab. Ghost moved in circles around her. Nix imagined they looked like they were in the middle of some strange summoning. Which, she supposed, they technically were.

Nix put down the file and grabbed another, flipping rapidly to a back page before putting that one down too. She sat still for a moment, then snatched up another file and skimmed it and replaced it. Ghost stopped to hover over her shoulder, trying to find the method to her madness. He trusted her judgment, but had never understood her thought process. She was like a hummingbird, eyes flicking over everything, left then right then left then center then back to her knees, grabbing one file and setting it down again without looking in it, switching the positions of two other files. Normally she was so still, but when it came to planning and strategy she was all over the place. Ghost didn't understand. He floated in circles once more.

Once the stars had been out for some time Nix put down another file and went still, eyes staring at the floor in front of her, head cradled in her hands. Ghost stayed silent, knowing she was making a final decision and shouldn't be disturbed, or she would lose it.

"This is a stupid idea," she said finally. Ghost moved close to her and spun inquisitively.

"This is a stupid idea, but I think it's going to work."

"….So you've decided then?"

Nix nodded slowly, head still in her hands, still staring blankly into space.

"…care to share?"

Nix stayed silent for a moment longer, taking in a breath, letting it out slowly. She began gathering up the files around her, the rejects in one pile, the five she chose in another.

"The usual formation. Two titans, two warlocks, a hunter, and me." She straightened the piles and dragged herself to her feet, stretching.

"Okay. What now?" Ghost hovered so close he almost bumped into her.

"We start thinking up some good ol' fashioned icebreakers, my ghostly friend."

Nix had never been particularly good at dealing with new people. For all her prowess in the field, it was still a fight for her to not clam up in front of strangers. But silence wouldn't get this done any faster, so she steeled herself, sitting cross-legged on a couch down in the bar beneath the tower hangar. She had grabbed on to one fall-back though. Her helmet glowed faintly under the hood of her cloak, a small wall between her new teammates and herself. Ghost hovered idly, strangely quiet.

The chosen guardians filed in close to each other, having arrived at the same time. Punctual. Good. Nix had a pet peeve about punctuality. Cayde had once showed up an hour late to a meeting because he had gotten caught up in a game of cards. Nix had _raged_ at him for wasting her time, and started refusing to ever schedule things with him again. Good times.

These guardians knew each other, like she had seen in their files. They had a loose Fireteam together, but hadn't done anything huge. Yet. They stood close together on the other side of the lounge, waiting for her to say something, but Nix studied them quietly for a moment, noting which ones stood ahead of the others, the defiant set of shoulders on one, the subtle lean-away of another in the back, the crossed arms and loose stances, all of it told her something. Finally, she gestured at the other couches and they dispersed to have a seat, slightly uneasy it seemed. The Vanguard hadn't told them much.

When everyone was seated, Nix uncrossed her legs and planted them firmly on the ground, leaning forward to lean her arms on her knees as she peered at her charges. 2 titans, a male and female, 2 warlocks, male and female, and 2 hunters a male and herself. They wore a little armor, but otherwise seemed to be in shore-leave mode, trying to catch a little time to relax even as they planned their next run. Nix took a deep breath, and spoke.

"How much do you know?"

"Not much. Cayde was acting a little tight-lipped, for once." The hunter answered. He was human, a scar running through his right eye, but the other bright blue. The others seemed to agree with him. So the Vanguard really had left it up to her on this one. Great.

"Well then, let's get the basics first. My name is Necryptonix, and I'm your leader for this raid," Nix looked at the widened eyes, "yes, I said raid. I don't know how much you all know about current events, but Crota is back. You know, the big angry Hive prince that fucked the moon all up way back when. We have to kill him. Any questions?" Their responses were jumbled as everyone tried to talk at once.

"I've never seen you around the tower before-"

"Who are you?"

"How the hell is Crota back here?

"Does this have something to do with that crazy Eris chick?" Nix snorted. She and Eris's Fireteam had never gotten along in the past, but now they shared one thing in common. Survivor's guilt. Nix stayed away from her.

Nix held her hand up to quiet them, and looked to Ghost. He floated into the middle of the room.

"I'll transfer details to your ghosts, if you'll please…" The other guardian's Ghosts materialized and floated to Nix's Ghost. In just a few moments and a few strange flashes, the information had been given to the others. Ghost floated back to Nix and hovered over her shoulder.

"Read up on that tonight, memorize it. Think about it. Ruminate on it. Know it better than you know yourself. Meet up back here tomorrow, at the same time. We'll talk drills and tactics. We have about two weeks before we need to move out of here. That's a little time to make sure you all know how to follow orders, and know what you're doing." Nix stood up in one fluid motion, gave the others one last look. "And once you've done a little research, if you decide you don't want to do this…tell me. I'll find someone else." They stared at her in surprise. Nix walked out, no look back this time.

"Why'd you give them an option like that?" Ghost muttered to her, a mixture of horror and shock in his voice.

"Because, if they don't want to do this raid, if they're afraid, they'll never make it out. I need people who know exactly what they're getting into…and want to do it anyway. It's the only way to make this work." Nix's long strides carried her away and up the stairs, back to her hidey-hole.


	6. 06 - Drills

06 – Drills

Nix sat cross-legged in a patch of grass on Venus. Various guns were arranged in a circle around her, with Ghost floating over her shoulder. The Cryptarchs had come through, after all the gear she had brought them. For the first time in years, Nix had some new toys to play with.

It had been two days since she gathered the guardians she had chosen. None of them chose to back out. She spent the first day testing their minds, asking them pointed questions about their own Hive experiences, their fears, their strengths, their opinions. She examined their knowledge of the files she had asked them to read on Crota and the impending raid. They had done passably well, but it could have been better. It made Nix anxious. She hoped that after today, they would take things a little more seriously.

They had all faced the Hive before. They had all taken down knights and ogres and wizards. A few of them had been on strikes against Hive leaders, and succeeded. And yet, for all of that, they had little to say in the way of suggestions. Nix wanted them to start thinking about battle strategies now, get backup plans in their heads early so that when the time came and everything went to shit, they wouldn't be left flat-footed and dead. They seemed reluctant. She got the feeling that they had read up on her. She couldn't tell if their reluctance was due to a respect for her, or a lack of it.

Today was going to be a new type of exercise. Teamwork in the field, in a way that had nothing to do with the Hive at all. She got Shaxx to make up a rumble match for them, on Shores of Time. She wanted to see how they could fight when faced with the enemy in all directions. She wanted to see how they handled fighting the unknown – namely, herself.

While many guardians were limited to wielding only one style of light at a time, Nix had perfected the art of switching on the fly. It wasn't uncommon to see her using Blink Strike right after placing a tripmine, or throwing solar-charged knives after coming out of a bout of invisibility. It was mainly because of this that she had done so well in the crucible in the past, and partially why she had been appointed the lead of Fireteam Ra. She could improvise for any given situation, and it made her dangerous. For the darkness, and for the enemy team.

Nix brushed her fingers over the hilt of a scout rifle Cayde had had the Cryptarchs give her. The MIDA Multi-Tool. It was smaller than her Jade Rabbit, but she liked that. The Rabbit could get unwieldy in the field, especially during close combat. That had always forced her to carry a shotgun as a back-up, but with this she felt she could afford the luxury of a sniper or a sidearm, maybe even a fusion rifle if she was feeling brave.

Nix picked up the MIDA, deliberated between a shotgun and a sidearm the Awoken had given her, before picking up the sidearm and putting it in her hip holster. With that she strapped on a new machine gun, a Ruin Wake with stability buffs, and told her Ghost to put the rest of the guns away. The others would be here soon. Nix stretched, rolling her shoulders and ankles, bending her knees, cracking her knuckles. She held the MIDA up experimentally, learning the weight of it, examining the sights, bringing it down and then up and then down again, letting her muscles become familiar with the shorter gun. She had used the Rabbit for so long that this new weapon felt alien in her hands. She readied and lowered it a few more times before jogging up the hill to the arena, letting her muscles warm up a little.

Nix's anxiety spiked when she reached the stone silo that marked the center of the arena. The others were already there, waiting. She slowed to a walk and clipped the scout rifle to her back. She had stopped playing crucible after the Ra incident, because of how unstable she had become when it happened. She had enough guardian's blood on her hands without gunning more down in the crucible for sport. Ghost spun around her head, looking at the other guardians, all staring at her.

"A fine day to die, isn't it?" Ghost quipped, his shell spinning. Nix gave him a side-eyed glare. He spun away from her.

"What are we doing out here? Shouldn't we be training on the Moon? Or Earth? There are no Hive on Venus." The male human titan, Jack, had his arms crossed as he spoke. The others seemed to be wondering the same thing.

"I want to see how you-all fight when you're outnumbered. I want to see you think on your feet. The Hive, while formidable in numbers, are not as intelligent as I _hope_ you guys are. I'll learn more about your fighting style by watching you fight people of your own caliber. It's just a good ol' fashioned Rumble match, sanctioned by Shaxx." Jack snorted, looking at Nix derisively.

"And let me guess, you're just going to be sitting on the sidelines, having a cold drink and catching up with Shaxx while we run around down here?" Nix's eyes narrowed.

"On the contrary, I'll be down here fighting as well. It's only fair that you guys get to see me fight too, so you know how to work with me as a team later. We all have a role to fill. This is a chance to learn what those roles are." Nix forced her arms to stay loose at her sides. Keeping her mouth in an impassive line.

"But won't it be embarrassing, having the people you're supposed to be leading kick your ass? You've been gone a while after all, pretty out of touch with reality." Jack was trying to antagonize her. He clearly had his own opinions about her little "vacation". The female titan at his side elbowed him, giving him a sharp look. Nix laughed, sneering at the group around her.

"Oh, you poor, poor, delusional children. I'll make you a bet. Whichever one of you kills me first, gets to lead all the exercises until we leave for the raid…" Nix's helmet materialized in her right hand, "however…if none of you manage to kill me, I'll work you like the pitiful excuses for guardians you truly are. Sound good?" Nix's grin stretched across her face as she saw her insults take light in the eyes of the others, their faces turning to scowls and glares. She slipped her helmet on, making sure it fit tightly, and felt Ghost materialize into her armor. She could sense his disapproval for what she said, but she wasn't too concerned. If they weren't going to give her respect the easy way, she was going to have to wrench it from their cold, dead fingers.

Shaxx's voice came over the comms, instructing Ghosts to scatter their guardians so that the match could begin. Soon Nix felt her body go numb as her Ghost moved her to a far corner of the map. Shaxx sounded a little more animated as he announced the game type and the objective. As soon as Nix's body re-materialized she crouched and snuck forward, waiting until her invisibility kicked in to really get moving.

The match started; Nix vanished from sight, and all of the guardians began sprinting forward to the middle. Nix jogged forward, keeping her back to the rock walls, rifle at the ready. It wasn't long before she heard gunshots and a grenade go off. From the tunnels she could see three guardians taking shots at each other. Jack and both warlocks were trading shots and ducking behind cover. Nix crouched, knowing her invisibility was about to run out, and put her back against the wall. She wouldn't get sniped from behind in this position. She readied the MIDA, and decided Jack would be the first to go.

Three rapid shots later, his body dropped and his ghost appeared. Nix could feel her own Ghost get smug as she took aim at the closest warlock and dropped him too. The two had weakened each other; it made taking them down too easy. The third warlock, the female, had already slipped away. A blip on Nix's radar, to her back right, had her up and sprinting away to the stone structure at the back of the map. She blinked the last few feet, landing inside just in time to hear a shot ricochet off the wall behind her. A heavy round, probably a sniper. Too close for comfort, she decided. She knew she wouldn't be going back that way without getting her head blown off.

Nix pulled out her sidearm, crouched behind a stone pillar in the middle of the room, and waited. It was less than a minute before the blip reappeared on her radar, coming up from the right where the sniper had shot from. He was coming in after her, lured in by the idea of leading the team himself. Nix had crouched long enough to bring her invisibility back up. Good timing. When the blip lit up a bigger chunk of her radar, she counted to five before sliding out from behind cover and slamming the trigger of her gun. 6 rapid shots later, and the hunter dropped before her, his hand cannon clattering on the ground before his ghost appeared. Nix smirked, pulled the MIDA back out, and headed outside to the left.

She jogged up the left side of the map, rifle half-raised. She used triple jump to get over the gap from grass to the raised stone platform, back where she had initially spawned, she circuited the wall, jumping on the rocky outcropping hanging alone in the air, before jumping back onto the stone platform from behind. A blip on her radar told her there were others nearby, probably in the short stone tunnel system in front of her.

"You think they'll hate you after this?" Her Ghost asked inside of her head.

"I think they'll know their place, after this." Nix's mind was calm, eerily so, the way it always got when she set herself to fighting.

A warlock used blink to jump out of the tunnel. Nix had just enough time to see a shotgun shining in her hands before the warlock blinked again.

Nix blinked forward, causing the warlock's second blink to send her too far behind Nix to be in range, even for her Conspiracy Theory-D, and now she had to wait for her blink to recharge. Nix whirled and threw a knife, which hit squarely in the warlock's chest, causing her armor to glow gold as the solar damage set in. The warlock lunged forward to try and melee, but Nix blinked back a second time and finished her off with the sidearm.

When Nix landed, she scanned the map for a special ammo crate. She would be out of it soon. But no time to figure it out, as a blip appeared suddenly on her radar. 12 rounds left in the gun, enough to finish off one person assuming nothing went wrong. But Nix decided not to take the chance. She turned to run off to the side, get some distance, but as she did a series of bullets embedded themselves in her right shoulder. The female titan had jumped on to the overhanging stone platform, pulse rifle raised. Nix threw a tripmine in the doorway and blinked backwards. It would keep the titan from following her long enough to get some health back.

Nix landed in the grass off the side of the platform and bolted towards the stone silo. She got out her scout rifle and prepared to do some long distance shots. She heard the gunfight behind her as the female titan met whoever had been in the tunnel. Nix crouched, watched out the silo's exit that faced the stone structure in the back of the map, and kept an eye on her radar. She waited a few moments until the male warlock sprinted out of the tunnels to her right. Nix took aim, got off two shots, but the Warlock tossed a grenade and Nix was forced back to avoid getting burned to death. But moving backwards put her back on the radar to face whoever had won the fight behind her. The male titan, Jack, sprinted towards her. Nix knew what was coming.

Nix blinked upward just as Jack moved to shoulder charge her. Her timing was good, she had avoided the deadly melee, but now she was forced into close combat with a titan and a shotgun. She knew what her odds were here.

The male warlock ended up being her saving grace, however, as he took potshots at Jack from outside the silo, just trying to get a kill. He did enough damage with his scout rifle that Nix was able to blink strike Jack from behind, giving her invisibility again, enough for her to turn and take a few shots at the warlock to discourage him from following immediately as she turned and ducked out the side of the silo.

Nix's shields hummed as they restored themselves. Nix ran out of the mouth of the tunnel to grab the special ammo crate that had spawned there, before ducking back in and taking the opportunity to refill the clip of her sidearm. When that was done, she headed back towards the stone platform where she heard more gunfire. It was time to teach a lesson in teamwork.

Sure enough, the female warlock and the female titan were dancing around each other outside the stone tunnels, while the hunter readied his sniper from a pillar in the back. Nix pulled out the MIDA and shot at the sniper from the hanging platform, surprising him and making him jump down, but not fast enough. He was dead before he hit the ground. She pulled out her sidearm then, used triple jump to bridge the gap from stone to grass, and then blinked into the center of the fight. The warlock was nearly dead, her health deep in the red on Nix's helmet display. Nix threw her knife before the warlock could melee her, then turned to shove another knife deep in the titans neck. Blood gurgled out before her body fell.

Nix flicked her fingers, getting some of the blood off, before waving at the two guardians' ghosts and jumping back on the platform.

"Ghost? Get out my shotgun, transfer the ammo from my sidearm to it. Things are about to get nasty, and I can't afford to play around anymore."

"I can only make enough ammo for 6 rounds, will that be enough?"

"Good enough. Do it." Nix felt her sidearm disintegrate off of her hip, replaced by the weight of her shotgun in the middle of her back. She pulled it out and checked to make sure it was loaded. With a slight nod, she replaced it and moved to the back of the map, standing on top of a crashed fallen ship that had long since been absorbed in to Venus's aggressive landscape. She crouched and waited. Her super, a golden gun, was ready. After a few moments her invisibility kicked in.

Right on cue, she saw a titan run out from the stone tunnels onto the platform as Shaxx announced heavy ammo. The male hunter sniped him down from the rock tunnels across the map, though. He sprinted forward then, Nix watched, and saw one of the warlock's appear on the scene. Nix aimed her scout rifle and started shooting. From this distance, their pulse and auto rifles could not compete. She took the hunter down first, having more fear for his sniper than for the warlock's shotgun. The warlock heard her gunshots and ducked around a wall. Nix decided to take the risk and started triple jumping forward. She landed where the heavy ammo would spawn, checked her radar, then grabbed her shotgun and blinked forward and then again to the side. She practically landed on top of the crouched warlock. She pulled the trigger of her shotgun on his head.

The heavy ammo spawned and she sprinted and slid into it, hearing the sound of a bullet whiz past. The goddamn sniper was back. She grabbed the ammo and blinked to the rocky outcropping between herself and the hanging platform. The sniper hit her in the leg though, bringing down her shields and sending her health into the red. She frantically loaded her machine gun, crouched, waiting for her health and shields to come back.

She winced a little as she landed on her wounded leg when she hit the platform, but she started healing then so she quickly forgot the pain. She didn't have any blips on her radar. It seemed the sniper had learned his lesson the first time, and didn't have any desire to face her in close combat. From the back of her map she heard a loud explosion. A rocket launcher, it seemed. Nix sighed, knowing if the launcher had tracking she would be hard-pressed to beat it with her machine gun. If she saw him, she would have to use her super.

Nix jumped back to the grass across the gap and moved carefully. She knew she would have to see the rocket launcher first if she had any hope of beating him. She saw someone run out of the stone structure, the male warlock, the victim of the rocket launcher. She pitied him slightly as she riddled him with holes. Bad luck for him, running into heavy twice. Nix ran into the stone structure, peaked out the other exit, and saw nothing. She checked the entrance of the stone tunnels and the rocky tunnels. She heard another explosion and saw another name pop up on her kill feed. Rocket launcher would be out of shots soon, she figured. He had run back to the fallen ship. Nix looked around once more before sprinting for the tunnels.

She crouched when she got inside, letting her invisibility kick in. When she vanished she stepped out. There, waiting on the hanging stone platform, stood Jack with the rocket launcher. He was jumping up and down, appearing to try and get a good shot at someone else. Nix saw another person spawn back by the fallen ship. It was the female warlock. She blinked forward, towards the stone platform. Now or never, Nix decided.

With her invisibility running out, she sprinted forward, closing the distance quickly. 10 feet from the stone slabs she became visible again. As she did, she pulled her golden gun. Jack heard it go off and turned, just in time to eat a solar bullet. The female warlock desperately tried to blink shotgun Nix, but she jumped up and gunned her down too. With only one bullet left, Nix ran to the hanging platform and jumped the gap. There, across the map, the female titan was running out of the stone structure. She pulled the trigger and watched her explode in a solar flare. With her super gone, Nix pulled her machine gun back out. She was the only one with heavy now, and she still had a clip and a half left. They would all fear her before this match was over.

Nix leaned against a stone wall, sunlight bouncing off of her scuffed armor and the rifle in her hands. Not a bad gun, after all. Ghost floated idly around her, examining cracks in the wall, shooting his one-eyed glances back at her on occasion. Her first crucible match in years, and she didn't suffer a psychotic break. That was an improvement.

"We have a lot of work to do." Ghost floated back to his guardian, coming up to eye-level.

"You've got that right." Nix looked at the sky, at the light slowly fading as the Sun sank below the horizon. "But they have guts, and they figured out the secret in the end. That's promising."

She pushed off the wall and stood straight as Shaxx approached. The guardians, Nix's charges, straggled behind, talking to each other, gesturing wildly. At the end of the match, they had gotten smart and made a peace treaty with each other, to try and team up to take Nix out. But she had expected it when things got a little too quiet. When you're in a Rumble match and suddenly hear nothing but silence, you know you're in trouble. But after all the heavy kills she had gotten, her super had almost recharged. This time, she used arc blade. She had crouched and waited behind the fallen ship, her shotgun loaded and ready, letting her super finish filling up.

As expected, they rushed her. With so many shotguns and melees, they figured she wouldn't have a way out. Nix waited until they were almost on top of her, pulled her arc blade, and went to town. The hunter sniper had stayed away, as a back-up, but Nix was moving too fast for him to get the shot without accidentally hitting one of the others. They got a melee and a shotgun off, but every kill Nix got just regenerated her health. They couldn't kill her before she took all four of them down. Sniper shots had ricocheted around her but only nicked her. Nix turned with the MIDA, dodged and rolled and blinked around, taking shots between every movement, until even the sniper fell.

With that, Shaxx had called the match. And now they all came up the hill towards her, their ghosts, floating listlessly behind as they argued amongst themselves about who had screwed who over. Nix sighed. They still left a lot to be desired in the teamwork department, but the fact that they had made the effort at all made Nix feel a little better.

Shaxx mounted the hill and clapped Nix on the shoulder, making her wobble. She couldn't decide if he just wasn't aware of his own strength, or if he was and he just liked making people shake a little.

"Welcome back to the crucible, Necryptonix!" His voice boomed, drowning out the petty arguments behind him. Nix shook her head.

"Don't get your hopes up, Shaxx. This is for their sake, not mine." Nix rolled the shoulder he had hit, noting it was a little sore. She had rolled wrong at the end of the match, avoiding those sniper shots.

Nix leaned over a little, peering behind Shaxx at the guardians. Jack was arguing with the female titan, Alice. He apparently thought she had bumped him and made him miss his shot. The male warlock, Faust-19, blamed the hunter for not taking his shots sooner. The male hunter, Talis, blamed Faust-19 for blocking his shot. The female warlock, Caslin, argued with no one, standing off to the side, looking awkward and uneasy. She had scored the lowest of them all with only three kills. Nix met her eyes, Caslin's quickly bouncing away again. Nix sighed, smiling exhaustedly. The whole situation made her so tired.

"I'm starting to understand why you said it was a stupid idea, when you chose this group." Ghost seemed to be cringing a little as he watched the bickering escalate. Shaxx had turned to watch the spectacle as well, and Nix could almost feel him grimacing at the group.

"I think I'll leave you to work them over, Nix. Let me know if you need anything. I look forward to your return to the arena." Shaxx clapped her shoulder again, lighter this time, and walked away a few steps before his Ghost transmat'd them both to his ship. Nix watched the group bicker for a few more moments, before taking a step forward. Ghost hung back, watching, analyzing.

"Guardians!" Nothing. Barely a glance in her direction. Nix glared.

"Guardians, ENOUGH." Nix's voice bounced of the rock walls in the back of the map. It was enough to get the others to shut up, finally.

"Now listen up. Since none of you managed to put me down, I'm going to be working you a lot harder than I had initially planned. Frankly, you _all_ disappointed me. What's the Vanguard teaching guardians these days, anyway? To just run straight at the enemy and hope you're faster? Ridiculous." Nix sneered, her eyes narrowed to slits. "Faust-19, you couldn't have done any better than Talis did with that sniper. The sad fact is that he just couldn't get a good shot without me blinking away or getting crowded in by the rest of you. Talis, it's Rumble, you should have taken the shot whether or not they were in your way. If nothing else, it would have bettered your score anyway. Jack," he crossed his arms at her, "Alice didn't get in your way, you were just too slow to make your shot before I got you. And Alice, you shouldn't have rushed ahead of everyone else. This was a group effort, it shouldn't have become a suicide mission." Finally Nix, looked at Caslin, who stared at the ground.

"The only person who _didn't_ disappoint me today is Caslin. She made her own mistakes, and hasn't tried blaming them on anyone else. She knows exactly what she did wrong, don't you?" Nix cocked her head at Caslin.

Caslin nodded, still refusing to meet Nix's eyes.

"Instead of convincing yourselves that you're all perfect and everyone else just ruins it for you, realize you all made mistakes today, and you have a lot of work to do before you're even _half_ as good as you think you are." Nix gestured for Ghost to move forward, which he did a little reluctantly.

"Ghost, please transfer the recording of the match to their ghosts. I want you all to watch them today. This evening, we'll meet up again and I want you to tell me exactly what each of you did wrong. I only want to hear you speaking about yourselves. If anyone else's name comes out of your mouth, I'll have you running drills till you become a cryptarchy curio." With that, Nix put her helmet back on and gestured upwards, the signal for her Ghost to transmat them to the ship.

A few seconds later, Nix was strapping herself in.

"Well that went horribly." Ghost set the ship into auto-pilot, heading for the tower.

"Are you really surprised though? Put a bunch of guardians in a rumble match, each of them thinking they're the shit, and something like this is bound to happen." Nix rolled her shoulder again, making sure it had finished healing.

"I had just hoped you would choose guardians with less…volatile personalities." He hovered around to face her. Nix snorted and leaned her head on her fist.

"Would anything less be able to handle the raid?"

"Or you?" Ghost spun away as Nix reached out to smack him.

"I should like to think that the urgency of our purpose is bigger than our egotistical bickering. We're saving lives here, after all. They'll pull it together, when the time comes." Nix leaned back into her seat, crossing her arms and staring out the windows.

Ghost stayed silent, thinking. His guardian had always been hard to read, but after a few years he liked to think he was better at it than most. But now, he couldn't tell if Nix actually believed in the others or if she was just hoping to go out in a blaze of glory…when the time came.

Nix watched the blur of the stars whizzing past, but she could see they were approaching Earth. She thought about what Cayde said, about her just using the stars as an excuse to give up, and she wondered.


End file.
